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Super weird IMO that they refuse to release source code. Hard to trust something as important as notes to an opaque app.

by px43 3y ago

cpach 3y ago
If you want something open source there’s a bunch of alternatives out there. Logseq, Joplin, Zettlr, Standard Notes, etc. I prefer Obsidian since I like the UI and they offer a subscription for sync, which is very convenient.
drakenot 3y ago
But the notes are maintained as plain markdown files? I don’t find it weird they would want to keep the source for their commercial application closed when there are so many copy-cat apps in the same space.
iCarrot 3y ago
It's built with Electron so not entirely opaque. Car manufacturers don't release their source code either, yet people trust something as important as their life to it daily.
- Zambyte 3y ago
  > Car manufacturers don't release their source code either, yet people trust something as important as their life to it daily. I personally find it extremely disturbing. Two bads don't make a good.
  - rubymamis 3y ago
    What's so disturbing? The incentives are aligned -> If a specific car model won't be safe, people won't buy it. Also, there is regulation in place. I think we need exactly the right combo in software too. Obsidian is not open source, but you can gauge what they track in their privacy policy. You can try to confirm it using apps like Little Snitch. Also, all their notes are just plaintext so your data is portable.
    - Zambyte 3y ago
      > If a specific car model won't be safe, people won't buy it. The world is not this black and white. This assumes the customer actually knows all of the pros and cons of available options and is able to take the time to make a decision that best aligns with their values. In practice (at least in the US) we have and infrastructure that makes it practically impossible for many people to live their lives without a car, and purchasing decisions are based almost exclusively on marketing materials and social forces. > Obsidian is not open source, but you can gauge what they track in their privacy policy A privacy policy is a pinkie promise. Why depend on something so fragile for such an important function in your life, when there are much more trustworthy options? Logseq, Org Roam, and Joplin immediately come to mind.
      - rubymamis 3y ago
        Safety-wise, the chance of choosing a non-safe new car today is very low since they're not on the market (a lot due to current regulation). > A privacy policy is a pinkie promise. Why depend on something so fragile for such an important function in your life, when there are much more trustworthy options? Logseq, Org Roam, and Joplin immediately come to mind. Yep, I agree. This is why my own previous note-taking app is completely open source[1]. But this comes with many difficulties, and often times subpar experience compared to closed source apps. That's why I decided to close source my next note taking app[2]. [1] https://github.com/nuttyartist/notes https://github.com/nuttyartist/notes [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38584960 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38584960

Super weird IMO that they refuse to release source code. Hard to trust something as important as notes to an opaque app.

by px43 3y ago

Super weird IMO that they refuse to release source code. Hard to trust something as important as notes to an opaque app.

cpach 3y ago

If you want something open source there’s a bunch of alternatives out there. Logseq, Joplin, Zettlr, Standard Notes, etc. I prefer Obsidian since I like the UI and they offer a subscription for sync, which is very convenient.

drakenot 3y ago

But the notes are maintained as plain markdown files? I don’t find it weird they would want to keep the source for their commercial application closed when there are so many copy-cat apps in the same space.

iCarrot 3y ago

It's built with Electron so not entirely opaque. Car manufacturers don't release their source code either, yet people trust something as important as their life to it daily.

Zambyte 3y ago
> Car manufacturers don't release their source code either, yet people trust something as important as their life to it daily. I personally find it extremely disturbing. Two bads don't make a good.
- rubymamis 3y ago
  What's so disturbing? The incentives are aligned -> If a specific car model won't be safe, people won't buy it. Also, there is regulation in place. I think we need exactly the right combo in software too. Obsidian is not open source, but you can gauge what they track in their privacy policy. You can try to confirm it using apps like Little Snitch. Also, all their notes are just plaintext so your data is portable.
  - Zambyte 3y ago
    > If a specific car model won't be safe, people won't buy it. The world is not this black and white. This assumes the customer actually knows all of the pros and cons of available options and is able to take the time to make a decision that best aligns with their values. In practice (at least in the US) we have and infrastructure that makes it practically impossible for many people to live their lives without a car, and purchasing decisions are based almost exclusively on marketing materials and social forces. > Obsidian is not open source, but you can gauge what they track in their privacy policy A privacy policy is a pinkie promise. Why depend on something so fragile for such an important function in your life, when there are much more trustworthy options? Logseq, Org Roam, and Joplin immediately come to mind.
    - rubymamis 3y ago
      Safety-wise, the chance of choosing a non-safe new car today is very low since they're not on the market (a lot due to current regulation). > A privacy policy is a pinkie promise. Why depend on something so fragile for such an important function in your life, when there are much more trustworthy options? Logseq, Org Roam, and Joplin immediately come to mind. Yep, I agree. This is why my own previous note-taking app is completely open source[1]. But this comes with many difficulties, and often times subpar experience compared to closed source apps. That's why I decided to close source my next note taking app[2]. [1] https://github.com/nuttyartist/notes https://github.com/nuttyartist/notes [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38584960 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38584960